Fearotz Stronghold.
The calm-looking Jean Camus walked past the door of a cultivation hall.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked inside.
The center stage was filled with strange rugged crystals. There, a girl was supporting herself on her knees, panting heavily. Drips of sweat trickled down from her chin.
It was Chris's signature pose.
Especially the students from the Holy Dawn Academy would often see the god-like girl in this state.
However, this was not Chris, but Meraly.
Jean Camus watched for a few seconds. Then, he entered the cultivation hall and asked Meraly, "Are you really trying to improve your strength as soon as possible at any cost?"
"Jean Camus, it's you?"
Meraly turned around with difficulty. The moment she saw it was Jean Camus, she squeezed out a smile and forcefully stood up, "Of course...... If I don't improve myself quickly, I will really become everyone's burden...... By then, even if we fought together, I may distract all of you instead of helping you."
Jean Camus remained silent for a few seconds.
"Although this Heavy Crystal Cultivation Hall can train your mental strength and physical strength, the improvement speed is still too slow compared to your determination." He calmly looked at Meraly's sweat-drenched face, "I know a forbidden skill. With the resources of the Fearotz Stronghold, it can let you improve faster, just that......"
Meraly's eyes sparkled. She noticed that Jean Camus seemed to be a little hesitant and asked, "Just what?"
Jean Camus deeply inhaled and slowly exhaled. He watched Meraly and told her, "The forbidden skill is called Crystal Angel."
"Crystal Angel?" Meraly looked confused. She had never heard of this arcane skill.
"During the Era of the War with Dragons, it was classified as a type of heavy particle skill."
Jean Camus calmly and slowly explained, "Arcane masters training in heavy particles usually took Charlotte's approach. They would repeatedly hammer and refine their heavy particles to improve their density. However, this Crystal Angel uses a completely different approach. It uses a grueling constant filing and regenerating method."
"Severing and regenerating?" Meraly's heart began to beat faster. She hoped Jean Camus would explain faster.
"Simply speaking, training in this arcane skill is similar to using countless files to file off your bones layer by layer. It will grind your bones into dust and use its unique arcane power with some crystal powder to integrate the crystal into your bones as they regenerate." Jean Camus explained clearly, "As this process repeats, your bone density will keep increasing and eventually become similar to crystal. However, it doesn't stop there. Your bones will become much tougher and more tenacious than even the strongest crystals. In battle, you can use this kind of particle to unleash astonishing power. Just that, you should understand how painful training it is."
Meraly understood Jean Camus's hesitation.
Using arcane power to grind her bones into powder layer by layer...... Usually, even a fracture would cause immense pain. Filing off her bones layer by layer would be much worse than breaking all her bones.
Furthermore, she had to continue bearing the pain as she trained in that arcane skill.
Meraly's face became paler and paler.
Cold sweat seeped out of her forehead.
However, she straightened herself and spoke with determination while looking at Jean Camus, "If even you find that arcane skill incredible, and I can learn it...... With the upcoming war, the Fearotz Stronghold may be eventually abandoned. We have to use any and all resources we can find here...... Please, teach me that arcane skill."
"It's not just the pain during training." Jean Camus stared into Meraly's eyes. He seemed to have understood Meraly's thoughts and shook his head, "As a result of learning this secret skill, your bone structure will be permanently changed. Your bones will grow like bone spurs. Some of them will eventually pierce out of your back and become a pair of crystal wings. The crystal wings act both as a defensive shield and attacking weapon. Its greatest use is to insulate the majority types of arcane powers. They will definitely provide you with astonishing fighting strength. However, you can imagine how painful it is when the bone spurs grow and pierce through your flesh and nerves."
"You should know this. Some arcane masters grew tiny bone spurs due to injuries. They felt intense pain when the bone spurs pressured the nerves in their body." After a pause, Jean Camus continued, "These bone spurs are going to grow out of your body. If your bones mutate during battle, there may even be bone spurs growing out from other parts of your body too. Your appearance will change, perhaps turning into a monster in other people's eyes."
"Apart from the pain...... I may also turn into a monster?"
Meraly began trembling.
"But compared to running away every time danger comes...... Compared to watching all of you fight every time despite the danger...... Compared to hearing the death of my companions and relatives in battle...... Pain and appearance are no big deal!"
"Jean Camus, please teach me this forbidden skill!"
Meraly raised her head and emphasized every word.
......
Under the moonlight, Jean Camus walked out from the cultivation hall Meraly was in.
Ferguillo appeared at his side.
"You knew she would be determined to learn this forbidden skill. Why did you tell her about it?" Ferguillo asked Jean Camus.
"Because this is the forbidden skill amongst the ones that I know of which can improve her fighting strength the fastest with the resources here in Fearotz. If we were to wait for her to open one arcane gate after another...... It's too slow. This war will probably have ended by then."
Jean Camus calmly looked back at Ferguillo and slowly spoke, "I also saw her determination...... If her fighting strength cannot improve quickly, she is going to die fighting alongside us. Between the choice of letting her die on the battlefield and this forbidden skill, I chose the latter."
Ferguillo raised his brows as if he wanted to say something.
However, Jean Camus took a deep breath and continued, "She already learned the Golden Academy's forbidden skill. Crystal Angel in combination with her Golden Academy's forbidden skill can create a Crystal Dream Summoning effect. It will be an extremely powerful summoning skill."
Hearing Jean Camus's follow up, Ferguillo did not have anything more to say and just nodded.
Whoosh!
A streak of red flames suddenly rose up in the night sky far away.
A three-legged bird covered in red flames crashed towards the Fearotz Stronghold from the sky like a meteor.
"Flaming Meteor Bird!"
Everyone in the Fearotz Stronghold was on full alert.
Such birds would only be used when passing the most urgent military intel. One rapid long distance flight would completely burn away its life force. It was the unique messenger bird possessed by the Corps under House Stark from the Kingdom of Eiche. It would normally never show up here.
Boom!
The Flaming Meteor Bird heavily crashed.
The instant it landed, its life force completely burned away. After a violent explosion, only a pile of ash and a crater were left.
Within the pile of ash was a small shiny metal pipe.
Mody appeared at the crash site first.
He solemnly saluted towards the ash. Then, he picked up the metal pipe. After twisting open the cap, he took out a small scroll covered in several unique paint seals.
"What does it say?"
Jean Camus, Ferguillo and the others quickly gathered around Mody.
"The war will begin in a few days...... The Kingdom of Eiche has assembled the Nine Houses into an alliance. They have crossed the Southern border of the Kingdom of Doa and completed the initial encirclement around the Doa Royal Palace. The five Corps under the Evil Dragon Army are making preparations for the fight."
Mody raised his head and looked at the others, "Another branch of the Evil Dragon Army is advancing towards the Frost Tusk Peak Stronghold. The majority of our Royal Thorns Corps has already arrived at the Frost Tusk Peak Stronghold."
"Contact Ayrin and the others, check on their situation."
......
A sky-piercing pillar of flames gushed out from the center tower of the Fearotz Stronghold.
Countless sparks of flames scattered around. The entire sky above Fearotz was dyed crimson.
Jean Camus, Ferguillo and the others gathered at the top of the metal wall.
After some time passed, the entire metal wall suddenly began shaking a little.
There seemed to be a tsunami approaching from the Thorns Swamp far away.
Sounds of people drawing sharp breaths came from the top of the metal wall.
A dark red army entered their sight with overwhelming pressure.
At the front of the army, knights riding on huge monsters and beasts marched like a mobile wall.
Behind them, densely packed foot soldiers wearing dark red armor followed.
"Are they with Ayrin?"
"There are at least over a thousand monsters and beasts...... Are those demihumans? Why do they look so uniform? Why are they wearing armor?"
Even after sensing Belo, Bat and the others, the people standing on the metal wall still became absent minded.
What appeared before them was an epic Monster Army only heard of in tales of the olden days.